In this weekly post, we feature helpful research tools and recent articles of interest to the legislative community.

• Explore state legislation related to children and social media. (National Conference of State Legislatures, updated January 30, 2024)
• See how Regional Mitigation Program funds have been distributed to certain counties in Texas for natural disaster mitigation. (Texas General Land Office, January 30, 2024)
• Read about the nation’s first Tower Simulation System at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. (Federal Aviation Administration, January 29, 2024)
• Search for information regarding elevators in Texas. (Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, accessed January 31, 2024)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on February 1, 2024 at 3:15 PM and has received 296 views. Print this entry.

In this weekly post, we feature helpful research tools and recent articles of interest to the legislative community.

• Explore by state the number of state lawmakers who are women. (ProPublica, January 11, 2024)
• Consider whether remote work boosts growth in productivity. (Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, January 16, 2024)
• Read about the surveillance economy. (Consumer Reports, January 2024)
• Follow updates on respiratory illnesses in Texas. (Texas Department of State Health Services, accessed January 24, 2024)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on January 25, 2024 at 3:15 PM and has received 358 views. Print this entry.

In this weekly post, we feature helpful research tools and recent articles of interest to the legislative community.

• Read about how tall front ends of vehicles may affect pedestrian safety. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, November 14, 2023)
• Explore an online field guide to police surveillance technologies. (Electronic Frontier Foundation, accessed January 17, 2024)
• Consider the findings of a survey of registered voters related to crime and public safety. (Center for American Progress, December 2023)
• Follow press releases from the Texas Military Department. (Texas Military Department, accessed January 17, 2024)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on January 18, 2024 at 3:15 PM and has received 383 views. Print this entry.

The Library is continually adding new books to its collection. Below are the titles from our January 2024 New & Noteworthy list.

Check out and delivery of New & Noteworthy titles is available to legislative staff in Capitol and District offices. To arrange check out and delivery of any of these items, you can submit an online request through the New & Noteworthy page on our website or contact the library at 512-463-1252.

1. The Common Flaw: Needless Complexity in the Courts and 50 Ways to Reduce It
By Thomas G. Moukawsher
Posits that the U.S. legal system contains needless layers of complexity that slows down cases and causes Americans to lose faith in their courts. Proposes 50 changes to make trials more efficient, fair, and transparent; including remote courtrooms and jury trials, involving judges in jury selection, deciding cases more on the facts than the law, and prioritizing the parties involved over the lawyers. Argues for replacing the formalism of the legal system to a more humane and accessible one. Includes a legal cartoon in each chapter.
Brandeis University Press, 2023, 265 pages
347.731 M925C 2023

 

 

2. Getting Elected is the Easy Part: Working and Winning in the State Legislature
By Karen Keiser
Offers practical and political advice from Washington State Senator Karen Keiser to help first-time state lawmakers achieve policy goals. Combines documented research with Keiser’s personal experiences and observations from over 28 years in the state legislature on the “sausage making of lawmaking.”
Basalt Books, 2023, 155 pages
328.37 K27 2023

 

 

3. The School Voucher Illusion: Exposing the Pretense of Equity
By Kevin Welner, Gary Orfield, and Luis A. Huerta, editors
Compiles a collection of essays on the history and evolution of school voucher programs and policies in the U.S. Examines state legislation, key federal court decisions, and profiles implementations in Indiana, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. Discusses how political and legal forces have influenced the programs from the proposed intent, including shifting subsidies from disadvantaged to wealthy students and other negative consequences. Offers recommendations to recapture the original vision of providing equitable access to quality education and civil rights protections.
Teachers College Press, 2023, 316 pages
379.1 W457 2023

 

 

4. Tell-tale Texas: Investigations in Infamous History
By E.R. Bills
Recounts tragedies from across the state, presenting stories and evidence overlooked, concealed, or forgotten by the annals of Texas history. Exposes tales of violence against minority peoples, including the Slocum massacre, post-Civil War lynchings, and the mass murder of a Black family from Mart, Texas. Highlights the lives and actions of activists like Jovita Idar, Frank J. Robinson, and Ida B. Wells.
The History Press, 2023, 173 pages
976.4 B599 2023

 

 

5. Write and Communicate Like a Professional
By Kathryn Rosser Raign and Jake VanderVaate
Provides strategies for improving professional writing and communication skills. Examines how to develop instructional, informational, and persuasive professional documents; work in teams; and plan and execute projects. Focuses on a variety of written communication types, including: emails, memos, letters, texts, handbooks, reports, agendas, press releases, and newsletters.
University of North Texas Press, 2023, 191 pages
808.06 R149 2023

 

 

6. Public Debt and the Common Good: Philosophical and Institutional Implications of Fiscal Imbalance
By James Odom
Presents a scholarly discussion of factors contributing to the significant growth of public debt in the last 25 years by examining state debt and fiscal policy. Explores the moral dimension to public debt, including the claim that it has become unjust. Offers quantitative analysis that supports the theory that centralization and the lack of justice, or the common good, can help explain state indebtedness.
Routledge, 2019, 172 pages
336.3 OD25 2019

 

 

7. The Texas Chronicles: The History of Texas From Earliest Times to the Present Day
By Mark Skipworth
Highlights over 100 important moments throughout Texas’ history in chronological order. Briefly discusses the start of the state constitution, the legislature, and the creation of the State Capitol building. Mentions Former Representative José T. Canales and his pursuit to reform the Texas Rangers and their practices. Includes a six-foot long fold-out timeline with references to other legislators.
What on Earth Books, 2019, 23 pages
976.4 SK628 2019

 

 

This entry was posted on January 17, 2024 at 4:40 PM and has received 756 views. Print this entry.

In this weekly post, we feature helpful research tools and recent articles of interest to the legislative community.

• Review and compare tax systems in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. (Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, January 2024)
• Consider the implications of absenteeism in primary and secondary schools. (Electronic Frontier Foundation, September 12, 2023)
• Read about the presence of plastic chemicals — phthalates — in food. (Consumer Reports, January 4, 2024)
• Search the PLUM Book, a database of federal civil service leadership and support positions in the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. federal government. (U.S. Office of Personnel Management, accessed January 10, 2024)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on January 11, 2024 at 3:15 PM and has received 397 views. Print this entry.

In this weekly post, we feature helpful research tools and recent articles of interest to the legislative community.

• Try the new sales tax rate locator. (Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, accessed December 20, 2023)
• Consider the new SEC (U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission) rule requiring publicly owned companies operating in the U.S. to disclose cybersecurity incidents such as data breaches within 96 hours. (TechCrunch, December 18, 2023)
• Read about the history of blasphemy laws in the U.S. (In Custodia Legis, December 19, 2023)
• Explore the state judicial retirement plans database. (National Center for State Courts, updated December 2023)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on January 4, 2024 at 3:15 PM and has received 278 views. Print this entry.

Today's Committee Meetings on the LRL website is a calendar of interim committee hearings with links to agendas. Below are resources related to upcoming Interim Hearings.

December 18, 2023
State Water Implementation Fund for Texas Advisory
Topic: The advisory committees shall review the overall operation, function, and structure of the funds at least semiannually and may provide comments and recommendations to the board on any matter.

• Texas Water Development Board, State Water Implementation Fund For Texas Advisory Committee, Staff Report with Final Results: 2022-23, 88th Legislature, Sunset Advisory Commission, June 2023
• 2022 Biennial Report on the Use of the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas: Report to the 88th Texas Legislature, Texas Water Development Board, Updated March 14, 2023
• State Water Implementation Fund for Texas, Annual Financial Report (August 31, 2022 and 2021), RSM US LLP, Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company, December 16, 2022
• State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT), Texas Water Development Board

Texas Infrastructure Resiliency Fund Advisory
Topic: The advisory committee shall review the overall operation, function, and structure of the resiliency fund at least semiannually and may provide comments and recommendations to the board on any matter.

• Texas Infrastructure Resiliency Fund Transparency Reports (see end of page), Texas Water Development Board

This entry was posted on December 15, 2023 at 10:35 AM and has received 294 views. Print this entry.

In this weekly post, we feature helpful research tools and recent articles of interest to the legislative community.

• Review state policy considerations related to disaster risk and resilience. (National Conference of State Legislatures, updated November 29, 2023)
• Explore the U.S. Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Database. (U.S. Geological Survey, updated November 2023)
• Track which federal agencies have met federal law and guidance requirements for implementing AI use. (U.S. Government Accountability Office, December 12, 2023)
• Read about which states are making population gains from internal migration. (U.S. News & World Report, December 5, 2023)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on December 14, 2023 at 3:15 PM and has received 420 views. Print this entry.

“What do you do here?”

“Have you read all these books?”

“How do bills get passed?”

“Is this the LAW?”

The Legislative Reference Library’s smallest visitors ask some of the biggest questions! Now, a few of those questions are answered by our newest exhibit, “How a Bill is Made – Texas Style!” Located in the library’s Young Texans area, this exhibit walks readers through the steps of the legislative process, using the text of a kid-approved bill: HB 234, 86th R.S. (2019) – the “Lemonade Stand Bill.”

The exhibit includes:

• How to read a bill, from caption to effective date.
• A walk-through of bill stages and how amendments are made.
• Explanations of the jobs that make the Texas Legislature run smoothly – from legislators to doorkeepers.

 

Alongside the new exhibit, the Young Texans area also features children’s books by and about members of the Texas Legislature, along with volumes on Texas history, legends, and culture. Visitors can enjoy these books at our antique reading tables, or while using our cozy rocking chair donated by the family of Rep. Tony Goolsby. Send your youngest constituents our way!

 

Governor Greg Abbott signs the “Lemonade Stand Bill” into law!

(Image Courtesy of Senate Media Services)

 

 

This entry was posted on December 13, 2023 at 4:45 PM and has received 325 views. Print this entry.

In this weekly post, we feature helpful research tools and recent articles of interest to the legislative community.

• Explore perspectives 60 years after the JFK tragedy in Dallas. (The Medallion, Fall 2023)
• Track the flu in your area. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, updated December 1, 2023)
• Review holiday fire safety tips. (National Fire Protection Association, accessed December 5, 2023)
• Consider state-level laws related to paid sick leave. (Economic Policy Institute, November 2, 2023)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on December 7, 2023 at 3:15 PM and has received 347 views. Print this entry.